More top action at BemmMark Cunningham | First Published: May 2008

It’s been another month of top action at the Bemm with some top quality bream and the prawns being the highlights. Another mulloway caught in the channel is also a catch worth mentioning.

With the entrance still closed the prawns have been locked in and most people cannot remember seeing them this plentiful for many years. If the weather stays reasonably mild with little rain, then it is on the cards that we will be still prawning in May.

The bream have really fired and can be targeted throughout the system. The water is a perfect height for fishing the sandbanks around the edges, and these areas have been the most prolific whether using bait or lures. Casting shallow running hard-bodied lures over the flats has worked a treat. Often when conditions are favourable you can see the fish and cast at them. As far as the bait goes, sandworm and peeled local prawn have been the most popular while a few good bream have also been caught on garfish.

The area from the mouth of Swan Lake to the mouth of the channel has been popular, along with the shallows between the two boat ramps. The luderick have been a bit harder to find but once the schools have been located there have been some good quality fish over 1kg landed.

The channel has also provided plenty of action with large tailor up to 2.5kg taking lures and live bait. Trolling has paid dividends. Some days they are up on the surface taking Lazer type lures and on other days they are down deeper and can be caught on large diving lures. As mentioned previously another mulloway was caught last month, which makes three that I know of. This fish was caught on probably the windiest night of the year, and is a real testament to the angler’s persistence. Live mullet was the successful bait with another suspected jewie lost as well.

The surf has been a bit inconsistent but on some days quality salmon, trevally and tailor have been caught. The most popular baits have been pilchard and bluebait while surf poppers are still working a treat. Fresh prawns have also worked well on the trevally and there is always a chance that you will pick up a southern yellowfin bream as well.

It should be pretty much business as usual over the next couple of months with the bream looking like they will be pretty good. Throw in a few tailor and the odd luderick and it’s all looking pretty good for anyone planning their next trip to the mighty Bemm.

This bream scoffed a long tail minnow out on the sand flats. The water in the inlet at Bemm is currently the perfect height for fishing.